Dr. Christopher N. LorentzProfessor, Dir. of Environmental Science Program and Director of Biology Field Station

Chris began teaching at Thomas More College in 1994. Since then, he has taught a variety of classes including Aquatic Biology, Genetics and Evolution, among others. In addition to these courses, he travels to Australia with students for two-week study-abroad experiences in the natural history of the rain forests and coral reefs there. In 1999, he received the award for the Outstanding Full-Time Teacher of the Year and recently participated in the Northern Kentucky Teacher Leadership Program. He currently serves as the advisor to Delta Epsilon Sigma, the College’s national scholastic honor society, the advisor to the Outdoor Adventures Club and serves on the Institutional Planning and Effectiveness Committee. He has been awarded several teaching grants focusing on the improvement of middle school science education in the State. Through these projects he has developed a new science course for pre-service teachers at Thomas More and has collaborating with Northern Kentucky University on a similar course for graduate students. In addition, he has developed workshops for middle school science teachers and science camps for K-12 students. Most recently, Chris has developed and directs the Environmental Science program for the Biology Department. Along side his teaching, he serves as the Director of the Center for Ohio River Research and Education at the College’s Biology Field Station. Through the Center, he has been awarded several research grants involving aquatic biology and collaborations with the University of Louisville to study the primary productivity of the Ohio River and the effects on fish growth rates and another collaboration with the USEPA in the development of a biomonitoring program for the Ohio River. In addition, he has been working with the Husbandry Department at the Newport Aquarium in the collection and care of the local freshwater specimens and volunteering as adjunct curator of fishes at the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History. He has served as president of the local chapter of Sigma Xi, a national scientific research society, and is an active member of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetology and the American Fisheries Society. Most recently, Dr. Lorentz has been appointed by the Ohio EPA to serve on the Hamilton County Environmental Action Commission and also serves as the science advisor for the Licking River Watershed Watch and the Science Education Committee for the Kentucky Academy of Sciences. In the community, Chris has been active with Big Brother/Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati for over ten years and was Co-Chair of the VISION 2015 Educational Excellence Planning Committee, a regional initiative dedicated to the smart growth and development of Northern Kentucky. He currently serves on the Boards of the Ohio River Way, the Ohio River Basin Consortium for Research and Education and the WAVE Foundation of Newport Aquarium.

Courses Taught: Aquatic Biology, Evolution, General Biology, Inquiry into Science Education, The History of the Ohio River and The Natural History of Australia

Research Interests: The bioassessment of aquatic ecosystems using fish and macroinvertebrate communities. These biological data, along with physical and chemical parameters, can be used to assess water quality and the ecological health of the aquatic systems in which the communities live.